Cenzontle/Mockingbird (YA Edition): Songs of Empowerment (Poetry * Drama) - Softcover

García Ordaz, Daniel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1732810605 ISBN 13: 9781732810600

Publisher: El Zarape Press, 2018

Synopsis

Young Adult edition of a code-switching collection of diverse poetic forms, styles, and personas celebrating the dynamics of the human voice & spirit. Age-appropriate language suitable for YA readers--with thought-provoking teacher-created questions for discussion following each piece or paired pieces and occasional writing prompts. Daniel García Ordaz, the Poet Mariachi, the author of You Know What I'm Sayin'?, encourages readers to perform the text aloud, such as his adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo & Juliet." A polyglottic exhibition of empowerment through performance. Influenced by and dedicated to the memories of Maya Angelou and Gloria E. Anzaldúa.

About this title

From the Author

For this YA Edition, I give the reader the chance to walk in someone else's shoes by trying on their voices. My collection is a polythetic assortment of poetry, lyrics, and drama that serves as a polyglottic exhibition of empowerment through mimicry. Like a mockingbird, whom the Aztecs call "cenzontle" in their Nahuatl tongue, my writer's voice is polyvoiced. I include in this collection an eclectic variety of voices: personas, languages, forms, styles, and identities--often mixing them, in part to entertain and in part to challenge my boundaries as a writer, to stretch my vocal chords, so to speak, but also in part to challenge the lingering prejudice against such mestizaje--or meeting and mixing of cultures (and also voices)--and help convert our society into one that accepts itself as it is: polyglossic and stronger for it. As Maya Angelou reminded us, indeed "We are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike." The sooner we embrace that truth, the sooner we can all join in the song that is America--the song that includes blues and jazz and conjunto and zydeco and yodeling and rap and bluegrass twang and zapateadas.

From the Back Cover

A code-switching collection of English, Spanish, Spanglish/Tex-Mex, of diverse poetic forms, styles, and personas celebrating the dynamics of the human voice and spirit. Includes teacher-created questions to guide discussions accompanying each piece or paired selection and occasional writing prompts.

About this edition

• Publisher: El Zarape Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1732810605
• ISBN 13: 9781732810600
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 102
• Illustrator: Martinez Gabriel